At resentencing hearing, Fumo faces term of 17 years

A tired, bearded, and resigned-looking Vincent J. Fumo sat silently in U.S. District Court on Wednesday as a federal judge affirmed that the once-powerful state legislator could face a longer prison sentence of at least 17 years.

But at the extraordinary hearing to decide if Fumo will serve more than the 55 months imposed on him in 2009, U.S. District Judge Ronald L. Buckwalter also expressed sympathy for Fumo's multiple health problems, a factor that defense attorneys hope would mean little or no extra time.

Once the most influential legislator in Pennsylvania, Fumo, 68, entered the courtroom in a green prison jumpsuit, hands cuffed behind his back and escorted by a U.S. marshal. His gray beard was closed-cropped and his tousled hair was brushed back from his forehead.

Since his conviction of misusing millions in state funds, Fumo has been incarcerated at a federal prison in Ashland, Ky.

Buckwalter convened the hearing after an appellate court in August ordered him to reconsider Fumo's sentence based on a new calculation of the dollar value of Fumo's crimes. Buckwalter may make a decision Thursday after attorneys for the government and Fumo make final arguments. Fumo will speak in court, his lawyers said.

The courtroom benches behind Fumo were packed with dozens of friends and family members. Among those present were his fiancee, Carolyn Zinni; his daughter Allie; and his son, Vincent Jr. His other child, Nicole, is long estranged from her father.

For the first hours of the daylong hearing, Fumo appeared uninterested. He rarely spoke with his attorneys, and often appeared lost in thought or stared down at the floor. He later became more animated, particularly when family members stood during breaks in the proceedings to catch his attention.

As he was returned to a cell at the Federal Detention Center, Fumo smiled and returned the waves of at least a dozen audience members.

E-mails Fumo wrote from prison, and released this month by the government, have portrayed the politician, who had a mansion on Green Street and political roots in South Philadelphia, as both despairing and unrepentant.